Volkswagen laid out its plans for how it's going to make 11 million faulty diesel vehicles comply with emissions laws last week, aiming to begin the massive recall in January and complete the job in late 2016.
Well, countries affected by the automaker's emissions scandal are tired of waiting for action. So, they're prompting it themselves. The BBC is reporting that Germany has ordered Volkswagen to recall 2.4 million cars in the country, rejecting the troubled auto manufacturer's proposal of car owners voluntarily bringing in their affected cars for repairs.
And Germany wasn't the only country affected to take a stand. Italian police reportedly raided Volkswagen's offices in Verona in addition to Lamborghini offices in Bologna, also according to the BBC. Italian prosecutors are reportedly investigating Volkswagen and whether it committed commercial fraud.
The news comes after Volkswagen announced just Tuesday that it's overhauling its emissions control system, opting for a cleaner choice via selective catalytic reduction technology for lower emissions. Embroiled in the worst scandal of its 78-year history, VW also said it plans for an overall shift from diesel technology to electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the near future.
But judging the actions of Germany and Italy, it seems like countries affected by Volkswagen's emissions cheating want less talk and more action. With their moves, it remains to be seen whether other affected countries such as Australia, China and the United Kingdom will act in similar ways. France already opened an investigation into VW earlier this month.
Volkswagen's managing director in Britain, Paul Willis, told a committee of British lawmakers Thursday, "I don't think there is more to come out," regarding whether the automaker has more messy revelations to inform the public about with its scandal. But perhaps that was only said in an effort to quell — or at least delay — the U.K. from taking immediate action like Germany and Italy.
Nevertheless, as Volkswagen attempts to right its wrongs, it appears as if it's original $6.5 billion projection over its total recall cost could easily swell to an even more obscene amount.
